R100R riders - Plusses/Minuses

[mmmalmberg]

Don't know how many there are out there, but if you own one of the '92-'95 R100R's, what has been your experience overall, what do you like about them and what don't you like? I'm particularly interested in how you find the handling, but general thoughts as well. I'm hoping to pick up mine, a black '95 with S fairing, this weekend.

[tvrla]

I like mine a lot. Superb handling! Great brakes! Three years ago I rode mine from Portland Oregon to the National in Burlington VT, down to WA DC and back - 7500 miles in three weeks. No fairing, S bars and it was great!

I haven't ridden it much since then, and have noticed recently it's got notchiness when the rear wheel is rotated backwards. I've heard bad UJoints cause that, so it's waiting for me to tear into it and see what's up.

[mmmalmberg]

Maybe don't go backwards so much:) Sounds like a great trip - you were making great time! Too long since I've really gone anywhere on a bike... Maybe this fall I'll visit my sons in Eugene and Portland, up the coast from SF, short but doable with busy schedule...

Have you owned other BMW's to which you could compare the handling?

[barryg]

Never owned a paralever airhead, but have serviced a few. I do ride a paralever oilhead. I like the idea of the single sided drive shaft, with easy wheel removal. I also like updated wheels with the tubeless tires,U can plug and go. I also think they got updated front suspension. Engine can be upgraded to put out a few more ponies. I'd like to own one down the rode.

[tvrla]

Evidently the UJoints, when they're going bad, feel notchy in the reverse direction more than the other way.

I took my time on that trip, most of the time. I spent three days at the rally and three or four visiting relatives in VA. I also wasn't riding particularly fast - for instance, through Kansas the cross winds kept me down to 60 or 65 with Semis barrelling past. Man, I'll never forget that!

The only problem on the trip was waking up in the morning in KS and the rear tire was flat. Plugged it, and it stayed up till suddenly in Oregon it decided to go flat again. I was camping and didn't have a pump with me, so had to ride 30 miles on 20lbs pressure. Well, there was one other problem, the left side case broke one of the plastic hinges and opened up. I didn't realize it till going around a left hand curve and felt it scraping. :banghead Lost a bunch of stuff, heated vest, maps, cleaning/shaving kit, and don't recall what all else. So let that be a lesson and strap even your newer bags!

Let me know if you make it up this way and I'll show you some great roads!

I've had a bunch of other beemers, G/S, GS, R80ST, R90S, R100RS, R65, R11S and ridden others like the K100, K1, R11RS, R12GS, R12R, K12.

I think the R100R has the best suspension (along with a properly set up R100GS) of all the airheads. But the 100R also has the funky driveline/UJoint problems... makes for a real love/hate relationship.

The tubeless wires are cool alright, but they can also be a pain. If the tire goes flat and breaks the bead or you have to take it off, you just about have to take it to a tire shop to get it to seat again. You need LOTS of air RIGHT NOW to pop it back on.

The wheels can also get tweaked and there's no way to true them with the spokes. They have to be straightened and it aint cheap. Also, the spokes have poor chrome and tend to rust easily. I guess the R11R used the same spokes except in stainless so replacing them with those is the way to go. These wheels are pretty heavy as well.

Also, there are no alternative final drives for these bikes - well, unless you want to drop down in gearing. I think the final drive on these is a 3.09 and you can get a lower 3.36. With the monolever you can at least go up to a 3.0.

The engines are way detuned and I prefer the mid seventies engines the best. I believe those are the ones to emulate. Up the compression, change the cam, go to the 40mm Bings or Slide carbs and perhaps do something with the exhaust. But most of all, I've been told that BMW was concentrating on the new models towards the end of the airheads in the 90s and stopped balancing a lot of things. So vibration can be a problem. I guess that at one time, even the alternator rotors were balanced, but not at the end of the run.

[mmmalmberg]

My R50/2 was the most balanced of all bikes I've owned, you pretty much couldn't tell it was running except for the sound. Which, even with the straight-through pipes I had, wasn't loud at all. Smaller, lighter motor with low compression and heavy flywheel...

Yeah I might even put in an earlier motor, down the road but I'll see where it goes with this one first. Hadn't thought about any balancing issues...

I'll make it up there sometime, boys will be in school up there 3 more years...

Really not hoping for problems with those wheels - will have to be super careful, I'm sure they are pricey to deal with. Didn't know you can't true them with the spokes, that's unexpected.

Is the drive ratio a factor of only the final drive, the tranny or both? Maybe an earlier tranny could be swapped in...

Thanks for the info, this is all great...

[tvrla]

On the other hand, these wire wheels are very rugged - actually stronger than the cast wheels. That's why the police specified wires on their bikes.

All trannys have the same ratio - they were all the same. The gearing can only be changed by swapping to different final drives on BMWs. There is one thing you could do, and that is have a taller fifth gear installed in the transmission.

The problem with the R100GS and the R100R is that they are unique to the airhead line-up. Due to their unique rear suspension it's not possible to fit a final drive with a different ratio from another model. So you're stuck with what they came with, which means a 3.09 ratio.

[mmmalmberg]

Makes sense. Can the final drive innards be swapped?

[tvrla]

I kind of doubt it since the pinion connects to a UJoint where the others don't, making it most likely different. And Ring and Pinion gears are mated sets, so you can't just change the ring gear.

[zoridog]

Besides being beautiful (love that big tank and spoke wheels) and having a great suspension ... they are the best hot weather bike I have ever owned. Think about it. Instead of the cylinders being between your legs they are in front of your legs. When I stop at a traffic light, I take my hands off the bars and feel zero engine heat. I ride on the hottest days as long as humidity is reasonable.

Everything is easy to access due to the lack of fairing.

Light! 480 lbs dry. Handling at slow speed is great.

The seat height seems much lower than the 31" on the spec sheet. I'm only 5'8 and have no problems flat footing at a stop.

Pride of ownership. You don't see very many of these and they have a distinctive look. Also, they look good with road grime so I am not tempted to keep it clean.

The bad. When I heard the notchy sounds it turned out to be my tranny. No circlip turns into bad bearings and worn gear dogs. Final cost to rebuild was almost $1500.

The only other disturbing thing was when I heard the batbike died without warning from a broken valve. Do a search to see the ugly pics.